WHAT ATTRACTED YOUR ATTENTION TODAY?

[Stanley]

Susan tells me the IOM ferry couldn't dock at Heysham yesterday, too rough. Makes me wonder how Kev went on......

[Wendyf]

I think it is today that he is going.

[Big Kev]

It is indeed today, 19:15 out of Liverpool, there's an extra hour on the travel time so won't get into Douglas until 22:45. The weather for the return journey is not good, 45mph winds and heavy rain. How lovely

The ferry, into Heysham, had to return to the IOM. I bet everyone was impressed with that...

[Big Kev]

Got here a bit early, just waiting to check in. The sun is shining and there's a light breeze.

[Tripps]

I hope you enjoy the I.O.M. - never been there myself.

I came across this yesterday. Blackpool has played an important role in my life from childhood holidays, to day trips, and meeting Mrs Tripps there, then taking the kids, when we visited relatives not too far away.

I put it on the 'avoid ' list a long time ago as it was sliding downhill quickly. I never thought it would get to be so bad as is depicted in this video though.

Perhaps it's time to re-define what we mean by 'Third World'. There's a great deal of 'levelling up' to be done here.

Blackpool

[Big Kev]

I hope you enjoy the I.O.M. - never been there myself.

It's a lovely place, we have friends who live there. Not seen them for 6 years so it was about time for a visit.

The latest email from the Steam Packet is a bit ominous

Due to the forecast adverse weather the sailing from Douglas to Liverpool on Sunday 24th September at 14:00hrs is subject to possible disruption / cancellation. To give this sailing every opportunity to take place a final decision will be made by the Master by 11:30hrs on Sunday.

The Sunday forecast for Liverpool doesn't look too bad, it's just getting out of Douglas and into the Irish Sea.

IMG_20230921_172111~2.jpg

[Big Kev]

Free WiFi on here too

[Stanley]

Best of luck for Sunday Kev.....
David, I watched a lot of the Blackpool video and you're right, it's shocking to anyone whose memory of the place is in its hey day. We always favoured North Wales but I suppose places like Rhyl are suffering the same problems. I have been seeing reports of drug taking and crime in Blackpool of late and am I right in thinking that another factor is the popularity of the place to people on benefits as the rentals are so cheap?
Very depressing.....
On an entirely different note, I got a text from BT Open Reach giving me an appointment for Monday morning, 9th of October, for free full fibre install..... That'll be interesting!

[PanBiker]

On an entirely different note, I got a text from BT Open Reach giving me an appointment for Monday morning, 9th of October, for free full fibre install..... That'll be interesting!

It should be relatively painless Stanley. One box outside to convert the fibre media and one box inside which needs a power source to distribute to your new router which you should receive before the installation.

[Stanley]

[Tripps]

Well - who could have possibly predicted that . . .

Non Fungible Tokens are worthless?

refuses to invert itself for me. . . .

[Stanley]

Thanks for that David. I don't understand what "a market cap of 0 Ether" means but always knew that they were a scam. The amount of energy soaked up by generating them is incredible.

[Stanley]

See THIS BBC editorial about the Truss/Kwarteng economic disaster.
The term "mini budget" will be forever toxic in British politics. So disastrous was then-Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng's September 2022 statement - which included £45bn of unfunded tax cuts - that its long shadow still stretches over our economics and politics. Over the past year, I have spoken to all the key players, some in public and some in private, about what happened both before and after that day. Those conversations have revealed important new details about Mr Kwarteng and then-PM Liz Truss' "growth plan" - including that its initial impact was far worse than has been publicly known up to this point.
The article, by BBC economics correspondent Faisal Islam is well worth reading as we watch the consequences of their mismanagement unfold.

[Tripps]

he amount of energy soaked up by generating them

I think that is Bit Coin rather than NFT's. but the net result is largely the same.

[Stanley]

[Stanley]

I tripped over this on the Web this morning....



During the war my mother was very inventive and took me and my sister on day trips. One of the favourites was to go by rail to Liverpool, ride on the Liverpool Overhead dock railway, go for lunch at a big department store, I can remember the seabird's eggs in the salad, and, if we were very lucky a trip across to Wallasey on the ferry. In those days Wallasey was a seaside town and many went on holiday there.

[Big Kev]

Some interesting old footage there.

What caught my attention was the automated NCP payment system. I'd prepaid, for the 3 days I was on the Isle of Man, at the Liverpool Capital NCP, car park. ANPR registers your arrival and departure times so no need for people (apparently).
Because of the ferry cancellation I prepaid for an additional 24 hours using the NCP app, all good so far.
The departure yesterday was delayed by 90 minutes, which meant I was 30 minutes after my parking expiry by the time I got to the car. Not a problem, so the sign said, just input your reg number into the payment machine and pay the difference before you leave. Input my details and the machine shows I need to pay for 4 days parking, I think not. The sign also says I have 24 hours to pay, via the app, before a penalty notice is issued. Taking into account the two prepayments I had made I only owed for 34 minutes so I left and went home, a check of the app this morning showed 4 days owing too so I called customer services. A 20 minute countdown (a pleasant voice telling me 'you are number xx in the queue and we expect to answer your call in xx minutes') and I got to speak to a real person. 5 minutes later, reg number given, prepaid reference numbers given and the system was updated. I was then told there is a 1 hour 'grace' period so no extra to pay. No idea why their automated system couldn't work that out, the car registration number is a constant throughout all of this...

[Tripps]

It should be relatively painless. One box outside to convert the fibre media and one box inside w

Not for me I'm afraid. They are digging the trench as I write.

Fibretopremises.JPG

[PanBiker]

I take it you don't have any telephone poles nearby? All ours were upgraded to fibre to pole about 3 years ago now. Small hop then to any properties. Doesn't work if you are more rural though.

[Stanley]

Hard luck David. I am only 50ft from the pole that has the fibre connection on it so it should be OK.... (Said he with fingers crossed. No sign of the router yet.)

[Tripps]

From Your Grocery Correspondent, here in Kuripot's Korner

On a day when the Press tell us that inflation is subsiding - with actual price reductions I find that my trusty Aldi sugar free 2 litre lemonade has increased from 29p to 35p per bottle. It was only a matter of time. . . I'll cope.

[Whyperion]

Rishi apparently has stated HS2 will continue from Birmingham , To Manchester , on existing tracks
(So that is not exactly a 360km/h service increasing capacity of the rail network ?)

[Stanley]

The two monthly visit by my chiropodist Robin. I can still easily reach my feet but my problem is seeing once I am down there! Well worth paying an expert to keep an eye on me and keep my feet straight. If your feet are in good nick, the rest of you stands a chance. Bad feet are a disaster!

[Tizer]

Whatever next?...
`'I was kidnapped by my runaway electric car'' BBC

Edit: Whoops I now see Tripps beat me to it! (Seen in the News thread)

[Tripps]

No need to worry about democracy Tizer - who needs it anyway? A new education exam combining A and T levels (what are they?) has been announced at the Tory party conference. Apparently everyone will do Maths and English until the age of eighteen.
It will be known as the Advanced British Standard. (ABS). There'll be no misplaced apostrophes after that happens.

Can he just do that? Has there been any consultation with "stakeholders" and the perhaps even the teachers' trade unions? No doubt anticipating the question - where will you get the teachers from - he also said (from memory) that teachers of STEM subjects would get a bonus of £30,000 over five years and it would be tax free. Whoopee! Best not tell the doctors about that.

Did none of his Special Advisors warn him that the acronym ABS is already 'taken' and it stands for Automatic Braking System? Plenty of scope for comedy there.

There'll be no charge for the brand advice.

PS A few moments research shows that T levels don't seem to exist yet in any volume. A few start in 2023, and more in 2024. Will they continue until the ABS comes in, or just be cancelled immediately? It will all have been meticulousy planned I'm sure.

Either way The educators involved won't be pleased- though a 30 grand bung will soften the blow.